The Star & The Constellation
by snapyourfingers
Summary: For 54 years, Draco Malfoy has glowed at the very thought that Hermione Granger will join him once more. And, here she is. They have all the time in the world now and eternity to make that journey they had promised each other. After all, love cannot save you from your own fate but what's meant to be will find a way. ONE-SHOT.


**The Star and Constellation**

9th November 2052, 4:13 am – The Present

There she was again. Her presence demanding the attention of all the beings in the whole universe; the very thought resulting in a warm feeling that started from his heart and slowly spread to every part of his being. His soul started to glow, with the heat he felt for her, igniting all the feeling want and desire that he held for her since that fated March day. Draco's persona dimmed at the morose memory of the date. He hadn't wanted to leave her then but love cannot always save you from your own fate.

Nonetheless, he'd been watching his Hermione as she carried on with her life, patiently regarding her with his watchful eye. Occasionally he tried to change the path of fate to something more in her favour, whether be it preventing her from going to an event he knew would be a bore or just giving a small energetic push in the right direction, all without her knowing. He may not have been side by side with her as she had gone through certain milestones of her life but he'd always seen and wished to have been the person she'd experienced them with. His heart had ached and his very soul had trembled every night, just waiting for her to join him. She had not been ready though back then; not ready to leave behind what she knew and embark on the journey with him that she had promised him years ago.

22nd March 1998, 8:06 pm- The Past

"_This has to be the last time, Draco" said Hermione, her voice quivering as she wrapped his torso in a clean, white bandage. He grimaced at the stinging pain he felt through his lower back, the result of a marring hex from Mulciber at one of the raids near muggle Essex. Hermione's nimble left hand fingers firmly yet lightly following through with her other hand grasping for the bandage, circling his lithe body to finish off the much-needed restorative process she'd grown accustomed to performing for Draco. She leaned backwards, her careful eyes trying to spot any flaw in her medical work. There were none. _

_Draco's face crinkled as he moved to grab the clean shirt that had been placed near the foot of the makeshift hospital bed. Hermione busied herself by tidying up the potions and salves she'd used on Draco. It had taken Hermione two months and three deaths to figure out how to cure those hit with Mulciber's hex. The spell was developed and became an entirely different hex from the base spell, Leviosa. In fact, this hex lifted the skin off of the area affected. It tore apart at the skin cells and lifted the skin until it was gone from the body, leaving the unfortunate victim in intense amounts of pain. It had taken a week and a half of pure undivided attention on Draco's back to ensure that he'd be right once more. Now, Draco was in slight pain but no more spontaneous bleeding and Draco could move with ease. He thought about the hard week that had passed; him writhing in pain as Hermione reapplied pain medication to the wound, his sleepless nights with the night terrors that plagued his subconscious mind and Hermione's worry-filled face glancing at him every so often. He'd get Mulciber back for sure, perhaps even tonight. If he was lucky…_

_Hermione's sigh broke Draco from his reverie. His line of sight was blocked by a messy-haired Hermione who eyed his glamoured hair. She ran her scarred hand through his mousy brown hair, missing its platinum trademark that tended to garner unwanted attention. He watched her, as he sat on the bed and as she stood between his legs; he just watched her. Her wand flew to her hand and she silently removed the glamour that protected him from being recognized by Death Eaters. "Just for tonight", she whispered. Turning around, she walked out of the room towards the dark kitchen of Grimmauld Place. He followed her, not caring for the pain, instead all his senses focused on his love. _

"_We could go, you know", mumbled Draco, knowing her response all too well but always hoping for a change in the answer. She sighed again, reaching out for the kettle. He stifled a groan from the throbbing discomfort of his wound as he sat on a stool, behind a counter, still keeping his eyes on her. _

"_Draco… We can't and I won't. You know that. How could you possibly ask me to leave Harry and Ron and every other person in this god-awful place?" Hermione asked while looking morosely staring at her blistered hands._

"_Because, it's a god-awful place…"_

_She chided him with her tongue as the kettle whistled. _

"_No, this war… It's what has made this place forsaken. And, we're winning, and there's finally hope. Hope, Draco. How long has it been since we've felt that? I'm not leaving, we've got the upper hand now and that should be even more reason to stay and see the end of this war."_

"_They can do this without you Hermione, you know that. You taught everything you know about planning raids and curing these damn stupid hexes. Angelina knows how to do the medi-witch stuff and Seamus knows how to plan raids. Just leave with me. We can escape all of this and come back once it's all done and over..."_

"_Dammit Draco!" yelled Hermione, her mug slamming on the countertop. "It's not that easy, I can't just up and leave my friends like that! This is the right thing to do! For me. For you. And for goodness' sake the bloody world. All it takes for the bad to win is for the good to give up! And this is __**not**__ the time to ask. You know that there's a raid tonight."_

"_Yes, and __**I'm in it**__! So, let's leave after the raid! It's going to be an easy raid… Everybody knows this!"_

"_Constant vigilance, Draco! You never know what'll happen! Things go wrong all the time…"_

"_Well, tonight will go swimmingly", Draco replied with a slight bite to his words. _

"_Can you stop being such a cocky git right now?! Tonight's raid is a raid. And, it could be as dangerous as any other raid. I don't know what's going to happen despite all my meticulous planning and you don't either. What'll happen to you, huh? You could get hexed again or worse!" she replied, the threat of tears welling in her eyes becoming clear to both of them. _

"_So, that's what this is about… You're scared that I'm going to hurt myself while out there doing raids… but leaving would keep us both safe. Except, the one thing stopping you from leaving are those damn saints, Potter and Weasley and your __**bloody **__self-conscience. I can read you like a bloody book, Granger." _

"_Yes Draco, I'm not going to deny th-" _

"_Let it go! Run away with me now! I won't have to do that stupid raid and you'll be safe with me. You know that I'll take care of you… You know it Hermione. I will protect you from everything. Just leave with me, please…" Draco begged. His dishevelled long hair flopping in front of his pleading eyes that looked earnestly at Hermione. His hands gripped the dining table, the muscle in his forearms defined and strong. _

_Her stance was unforgiving, though. She shifted from left to right, a knot between her eyebrows and a discontented look on her face, before grabbing the cup of tea for Draco and placing it in front of him. "Drink, it'll make you feel better", she said in a flat tone. He looked at her, her eyes cleared of any impending tears, his eyes searched hers for any sign of relent. There was none. Just as he had disappointingly assumed. _

_Acknowledging his hurt, Hermione made her way towards the other side of the counter as Draco's fingers gripped the hot tea despite his hand going a bright beetroot red from the heat emitting from the mug. Hermione's fingers gently pried his hand from the cup, the front of her body pressed close to his back. She knew she had hurt him. And, now he was hurting himself. It was his way of balancing out the pain; she'd figured it out the first time he'd showed his vulnerability. No, she wouldn't stand for it any longer. She turned him to face her, still holding his slightly burned hand. He stared ahead like a small sullen boy who had been told off for doing a naughty deed. Hermione lowered herself, her hazel eyes staring directly into his grey-blue ones. _

"_I love you and I'm sorry, but I can't leave with you. Just wait a little while longer and we'll leave, and we can have the life-journey that we want so badly. I'm sorry, but I just can't… not now", she said as she stared at him earnestly. She lifted her lips towards his, pressing her soft pink plush ones against his thin chapped ones. _

_He disentangled his hand from hers, slowly reaching around her small waist to hug her closer. They stayed like that for a while, cherishing the feeling of the love and affection and despair at not being able to lead the life they wanted. Draco shut his eyes, his head leaning against her chest, feeling the rise and fall of her breaths and the steady beating of her heart._

_Suddenly, they could hear a commotion around the corner and down the hallway. Hermione lifted her head, hearing bits and pieces of the heated conversation. Zacharias Smith and Blaise Zabini rounded the corner, into the kitchen. Both young men glanced at the couple that were still entwined. Neither giving a care in the world. They all knew that there wasn't enough time for moments like that and everybody understood enough to let it be. _

"_We have to go", stated Blaise with urgency, dressed in his combat boots and the usual Order attire. Zacharias Smith stood, similarly dressed except his robe was an off-set brown, most likely caused by the dirty raids that occurred two weeks ago. "It's almost time, and we have to get the equipment from Shell Cottage", continued Zach. _

"_Alright," mumbled Draco, slowly getting up from the stool, ignoring the pain and giving Hermione a chaste kiss on the forehead. He quickly took an inhale of her scent before stepping towards the others, not knowing if he'd smell it again. _

"_I'll see you later, Draco. Be safe. Please. ", replied Hermione as she turned to drink Draco's unfinished tea. _

_The three men solemnly walked out of the kitchen, joining the other five Order members in the foyer. They readied themselves and apparated to the destination. Hermione, sat in the kitchen, watching the clock's hands tick away, as she waited for Draco. _

_Except. _

_He didn't come back that night. Neither did Seamus Finnigan or Angelina Johnson. And, poor Hermione, her soul became woeful and broken. It was unfixable. The only thing worth hoping for, that life-journey with Draco, was gone. _

9th November 2052, 4:16 am – The Present

And, yet here she was again. Waiting for Draco to come forward, to let her know he was there, just like she had waited for him that night all those years ago. Both of them, one waiting to be noticed and the other to notice, surrounded by black, all black everything. She still hadn't sensed him yet though. Everything was black. She looked down and she saw the entire _universe. _

For someone who lasted all throughout the Second Wizarding War and lived to the age of 73 years, you would think that she would never lose her constantly vigilant mindset. But no, she'd grown back that trust she had before the war, and her persistent spirit had stuck through. It happened to be the very factor that had made him fall in love with her. Her trusting nature couldn't help but melt the coldness Draco felt after betraying Voldemort. Hah, the irony, Draco thought. She'd always been able to turn him into a sappy lad. Fifty four years later, and she could still do it, even without words. And finally, Draco thought, it's finally my chance to come home to you.

Hermione could feel his presence, suddenly. Her heart alighted with the thought. 'Where was he?', she wondered. Her entire being gleaming with the hope and happiness she felt. She felt a pull. There; there it was again. She could feel his shine. He was behind her. Her spirit blazed with the love she felt for him. Now, he was in front of her. No, no. She was wrong. He was all around her. Draco surrounded her and pulled her in all directions. She felt the protection he provided her with.

Then realization hit her hard; she had died. She had died at the age of 73 and had joined him finally. No wonder she could feel Draco. And there he was, or all of him actually. He surrounded her, forming the very constellation that he was named after. And, here she was, the brightest star in the sky surrounded by her lover. Draco seemed to come alive when she realized his presence, and he shone brighter, almost outshining the moon, as if proclaiming his love for her. And, she beamed too.

They could feel the inner workings of fate slowly tying their fates together for the rest of eternity. The star and the constellation would appear at night every night forever, finally able to experience each other's company and love again. And although the night was dark, Hermione and Draco's souls lit up as if there were more than just a couple of stars in the night sky, twinkling after the other as if deep in conversation.

**The End**


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